Umami, the fifth basic taste, is igniting interest within the ingredient and culinary worlds. It’s been hailed as savory, delicious, dimensional, and mouth-watering. Food product developers call umami a “back pocket” ingredient—one that supplies the missing link in formulations or recipes. Chefs call umami “yummy” and use terms like “umami synergy” and “u-bombs” to describe the role it plays in food preparation.
“Umami has become one of today’s hottest culinary topics,” says Debbie Carpenter, Sen…